Set Dad down to his own tick-tack-toe game
by Kathy Cano-Murillo - Jun. 18, 2005 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
It's 24 hours until Father's Day, and you still need one last gift. Think handmade, functional and interactive: a tick-tack-toe game! This project is aimed at kids who don't have enough allowance to buy Dad that set of killer golf clubs but still want to offer up something spiffy and unforgettable. With a ceramic tile and some wood pieces, you can whip up a handsome game board that can sit on the coffee table for the whole family to enjoy throughout the year. In this sample, I used painted wood pieces, but for an extra personal touch, make five copies of a picture of Dad's face, and five of your own, and then glue them to the wood pieces. So instead of using X's and O's, you can use your mugs as the game pieces.

Father's Day Tick-Tack-Toe Game

Supplies
• 1 ceramic tile, 12 by 12 inches
• 1 Sharpie marker and ruler
• 4 wood balls, a half-inch in diameter
• 10 wood disks or squares
• Assorted water-based acrylic paints, paintbrush
• E6000 adhesive.

Directions: Paint a base coat on the disks/squares - five in one color and five in a contrasting color. Let dry and then paint an "X" on five of them and "O" on the remaining five. Set aside and let dry. Paint the wood balls and let dry. Flip the tile upside down and apply adhesive to the bottom of each ball. Place one in each corner and let dry for an hour. Flip the tile right side up and using the ruler draw four lines to create the grid for the game.

Variations: You can use just about anything for the game pieces. Aside from gluing your photos on wood pieces, you can rubber-stamp or paint designs on the wood, or use found objects such as coins or washers. You can also use polymer clay.

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: father's day, inside, recycled